October 23, 2023
As of 2025, Toyota will equip its battery-powered electric cars with the NACS charging port in the US. The news follows in the slipstream of BMW’s announced switch, putting increasingly more pressure on the remaining automakers sticking to CCS. The list of carmakers joining the standard introduced and used by Tesla keeps growing. After Rivian, […]
October 23, 2023
Electra has concluded a contract with services company Spie to expand its fast-charging network in Belgium. The collaboration will install fast chargers at 21 locations across Belgium, and preparatory works have started since September. Electra is turning to the energy transition know-how of Spie to grow its activities in the fast-charger market. It aims to […]
October 23, 2023
Volkswagen, the second most important car company in Norway, will stop selling new cars with an internal combustion engine (ICE) at the end of the year. “As a farewell to cars burning fossil fuel, the last Golf will be ordered at the end of the year,” declared Ulf Tore Hekneby, CEO of the group Møller, […]
October 20, 2023
New figures from the European Car Manufacturers Association ACEA indicate that the European car market has seen a 14th consecutive month of growth and that electrification continues. In September 2023, new car registrations increased by 9,2%, reaching 861 062 units. Two of the EU’s most significant markets saw substantial gains: Italy (+22,7%) and France (+10,7%). […]
October 18, 2023
Citroën has presented “the first affordable European electric car.” With its technical specifications, a range of 320 kilometers, and a price of € 23 300, the ë-C3 will indeed set standards. In Flanders, considering the premium of € 5 000 for individual buyers, the car will cost € 18 300 in 2024. The model could […]
October 18, 2023
Belgian consumers pay the world’s highest transmission and distribution network rates on electricity bills. This conclusion comes from the latest International Energy Agency (IEA) report, ‘Electricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitions’, cited by Het Laatste Nieuws. According to the IEA, in 2021, an average family in Belgium paid more than 280 euros per megawatt hour […]
October 18, 2023
For the Belgian car market, 2023 will probably be the year that electrified cars took over. A positive side-effect is that the average CO2 emission of these new cars landed under 90 g/km for the first time. Meanwhile, the split between individual buyers and company cars gets bigger and bigger. The same is true for […]
October 17, 2023
The European Union will defend eliminating fossil fuels well before 2050 at the November COP28 climate summit in Dubai. This is rated in the joint position adopted unanimously by the 27 member states. “The transition to a climate-neutral economy requires the elimination of ‘unabated’ fossil fuels at the global level,” meaning no CO2 is captured […]
October 17, 2023
Through its battery cell supplier AESC, BMW has signed a ten-year agreement with Umicore to source high-nickel materials locally for the company’s US production. The supply chain will serve BMW’s round cell technology, featured in the company’s next generation of BEVs. It is also a necessary move to keep benefitting from Joe Biden’s IRA incentives. […]
October 17, 2023
Sweden´s largest energy storage system, made with reuse batteries with an output of 2.8 megawatts, was commissioned on Monday in Gothenburg. BatteryLoop, the subsidiary of Swedish Stena Recycling, specializing in connecting used EV batteries, used batteries from Mercedes-Benz EVs for its stationary energy storage system. The storage system is to power a new sustainable district […]
October 17, 2023
Digital Charging Solutions (DCS) has started a cooperation with Volvo Cars. Through this partnership, Volvo Cars customers will access over 590 000 charging points in Europe. The joint offer is scheduled to be launched in November. Through the cooperation, users of an all-electric Volvo model will have access to the charging points that DCS manages […]
October 16, 2023
Japan’s number one car manufacturer will exhibit the two new Toyota concepts at the Japan Mobility Show 2023 (October 28th to November 5th) with a booth themed “Let’s Change the Future of Cars – Find Your Future.” In this first announcement of models to be exhibited at the booth, Toyota reveals some design details for […]
October 16, 2023
The Volkswagen Group disclosed its electric car statistics for the third quarter. They show that sales of battery-electric vehicles are increasing by 45% for the first nine months of 2023 but also that the manufacturer’s increase is slower than expected. Furthermore, there’s a noticeable difference between the performances of the distinctive brands inside the group. […]
October 13, 2023
The world’s number one car manufacturer, Toyota, and the Japanese energy company, Idemitsu Kosan, are teaming up on solid-state battery development. The two Japanese companies aim to reach commercialization by 2028. Toyota is joining forces with Idemitsu Kosan to advance the development and production of solid-state batteries for its future electric cars. The collaboration focuses […]
October 12, 2023
After a concept version, two prototypes, and a camouflaged test model, Mercedes-Benz Truck has finally lifted the cover off its production-ready long-haul battery-electric truck. Somewhat surprisingly, Mercedes has opted for a futuristic look that references the GenH2 truck concept. We’ve known about the Mercedes eActros 600 for a while. Daimler Truck first showed a concept […]
October 12, 2023
The Dutch contract car manufacturer VDL Nedcar has finally disclosed who is the first new client after the BMW Group will have left Born (south of the Netherlands), where Mini’s were assembled, in 2024. And the first ‘new’ client is… BMW. VDL Nedcar struck a deal with BMW to assemble 125 000 battery packs between […]
October 11, 2023
There have been different signs lately about the EV market. Of course, sales are usually still rising, and the growth percentages can be impressive, but the real booming seems already over, and in absolute figures, there’s still a long way to go. One has to be careful when the emphasis is on percentages and the […]
October 11, 2023
Hydrogen gas (H2) can be used as fuel for cabs and other cars in Brussels without any problems. That is the conclusion reached by D’Ieteren’s Taxis Verts and Colruyt’s Virya Energy after a one-year pilot project involving more than 55 000 km of driving. According to the two initiators, the zero-emission technology could, in the […]
October 10, 2023
In a works council on Monday morning, the direction of the Audi Brussels plant communicated that the Audi Q4 e-tron production, planned to start soon, has been postponed. For the moment, there is no additional production capacity needed. The smallest electric Audi was already in production in VW’s biggest EV factory in Zwickau (Germany), with […]
October 10, 2023
Antwerp-based tanker shipping company Euronav remains in Belgian hands. Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) and the Norwegian Frontline, Euronav’s two major shareholders, have reached an agreement on the matter. The agreement is described as one of the largest deals in the shipping industry in recent decades. “A huge milestone”, says CMB CEO Alexander Saverys, who is […]
October 10, 2023
Giant Chinese battery cell producer CALB has unveiled a new battery with an impressive estimated lifecycle at RE+ 2023, the energy solution exhibition in Las Vegas. Named 314Ah, referencing its capacity, the new cell can withstand 15 000 full charge cycles. According to CALB, it’s the equivalent of 25 years. Moreover, the Chinese battery expert […]
October 10, 2023
The Volkswagen Group’s new battery subsidiary PowerCo and the Belgian materials technology group Umicore have established a joint venture for cathode and pre-material production in Europe. The JV is called Ionway. From 2025, it will supply PowerCo’s European battery cell factories with key materials from the Ionway factory in Poland. By the decade’s end, the […]
October 09, 2023
In the Antwerp port area, logistics company Wijngaard Natie is now driving around with four fully electric trucks, produced by Volvo Trucks. This would be the first all-electric port transport in Antwerp, although Katoen Natie is also using the Volvo FH Electric. The four trucks should mark a turning point in the transition to sustainable […]
October 06, 2023
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced today that its CEO, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, will retire on 30 November 2023. He will be succeeded by Chris Brownridge, currently CEO of BMW UK. With 14 years as CEO, the German leaves BMW Group’s British high luxury brand as its longest-serving CEO since Claude Johnson brought Charles Rolls and Henry […]
October 06, 2023
Skoda has updated its electric Enyaq iV, specifically the sporty RS version. The SUV now gets a boost in power from 299 to 340 hp, thanks to a revised and higher-output electric motor on the rear axle. The Czechs have also upgraded the energy management software, meaning that despite the power increase and the same […]
October 06, 2023
A loaded near-production prototype of the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600, Daimler Truck’s long-haul battery-electric truck, has completed a round trip from Stuttgart to South Tyrol and back on one charge. The distance of 530 km each way confirms Mercedes’ promised 500 km range for the model. The Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 is launching soon, with the world […]
October 05, 2023
The Brussels Region is planning 1 200 new charging points for EVs next year. Brussels Energy and Environment Minister Alain Maron (Ecolo) has announced a public contract. Sixty of these charging points will be exclusively for car sharing. By 2035, the Brussels Region aims to have 22 000 publicly accessible charging points for electric cars. […]
October 04, 2023
Flemish Minister of the North Sea, Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld), has granted an environmental permit for Princess Elisabeth Island, which that will be built off the Belgian coast in the coming years. That is what high-voltage grid operator Elia announced on Tuesday. According to Elia, obtaining a permit is crucial for constructing the artificial […]
October 04, 2023
Volvo Cars has signed a multi-year agreement with the Israeli developer of fast-charging technology StoreDot. The car brand will work with the latter’s experts to develop and test XFC cells. The first fruit of the collaboration is scheduled for next year. Storedot has been continuously working on its XFC cells (the abbreviation for ‘extreme fast […]
October 04, 2023
In a striking opinion piece, William Todts, Executive Director of the NGO Transport & Environment (T&E), points at the mess the German car industry has made these recent decades and the efforts from the European Union to tackle the problem. “Earlier this month, Ursula von der Leyen sent shockwaves through the European and Chinese car […]
October 03, 2023
Omoda is the name of a new Chinese brand, part of the Chinese car manufacturer Chery Automobile. The brand will first be introduced in Belgium and Luxembourg at the beginning of 2024. The first car introduced is the Omoda 5, a fully electric SUV that will be sold at just under €40 000 for the […]
October 02, 2023
Jochen De Smet is the current president of EV Belgium, a known facilitator of the energy transition. Being one of the speakers at Mobia’s Mobility Stakeholders Day, he stressed that the technology of this transition is not the problem, but the organization of it, especially the price transparency for the customer. “Europe has been working […]
October 02, 2023
Belgian dredging and offshore energy giant Jan De Nul has ordered the world’s biggest cable-laying vessel to be built, with a carrying capacity of 28 000 tons and capable of embedding power cables in the ocean floor some 3 000 meters deep. The new ship, to be delivered in 2026, will carry the name of […]
October 02, 2023
A small roadster with fifties styling and an electric drive is proposed on the market for a few months. The origin is Dutch, and the design inspiration is British, but the Porsche 356 reminiscence is not far away. Meet the Carice TC2. “With the Carice TC2, we want to create art on wheels,” Niels van […]
October 02, 2023
Elia, the transmission system operator of Belgium’s high-voltage grid, has reached an agreement with Flemish Energy Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) on increased compensations for residents living near Ventilus. That is the future high-voltage line that will bring electricity from offshore wind farms to Belgium and beyond. West Flanders mayors of the villages involved are reacting […]
September 29, 2023
Belgian company CMB.TECH is building Africa’s first public filling station in Namibia with on-site green hydrogen production. The site in Walvis Bay uses solar energy to make the hydrogen. Its strategic location should provide direct access to major shipping routes. “Our facility will supply hydrogen to trucks, ships, and railway applications,” the company says. The […]
September 29, 2023
Swedish battery cell manufacturer Northvolt has chosen a site on the coast of Montreal to construct its first North American Gigafactory. The company will invest five billion euros in the region. The plans were unveiled in May of this year, but the company was yet to make a final choice between the US and Canada. […]
September 29, 2023
Belgian retail group Colruyt will roll out 10 000 new charging stations at its own network of supermarkets and other public venues like hospitals and shopping centers. It will combine ‘slow’ 10 to 20 kW AC chargers and ‘fast’ DC chargers up to 150 kW. Those fast-chargers installed by energy daughter DATS 24 will allow […]
September 28, 2023
The German €300 million subsidy pot of the government, providing up to €10 200 for installing an EV wallbox in combination with solar panels and a backup battery, was exhausted in less than one day, the KfW Development Bank reported. The proposed subsidy was offered for private owners of an existing electric vehicle or those […]
September 28, 2023
Nissan’s plan to launch only electric cars and hybrids in Europe from 2023 lasted only a short time. From now on, the Japanese want to introduce only pure electric vehicles so that the last hybrid will be sold by 2030. According to the new plan, Nissan wants to sell only fully electric cars in Europe […]
September 27, 2023
Belgium will launch a call for projects worth 10 million euros next month to support the import of green hydrogen into ports. Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen) reports this. Belgium has ambitious plans for hydrogen. Besides making the country a leader in hydrogen technologies, Belgium also wants to be an import and transit […]
September 27, 2023
The Flemish government has (re-)installed a premium of €5 000 to purchase a new battery electric vehicle (BEV). For a second-hand one, there’s a subsidy of €3 000. There’s a significant restriction, however: the purchasing price of the BEV has to be less than €40 000, severely reducing the choice of electric cars on offer. […]
September 26, 2023
Almost 2 800 residents of the Lower Bavarian municipality of Straßkirchen were called upon in a referendum to vote on BMW’s planned battery assembly in the village. The result was a clearer ‘yes’ than previously thought. A clear majority of Straßkirchen residents voted in favor of building the new BMW Group facility. With over 75% […]
September 26, 2023
Despite climate ambitions to phase out carbon emissions by 2050, fossil companies continue to invest in new oil pipelines and platforms, shale gas projects, and even coal mines. To finance these activities, they increasingly rely on the cooperation of the banks. That is what the newspaper De Tijd revealed on Tuesday, based on research from […]
September 25, 2023
The French mining company Eramet and waste management specialist Suez have decided on Dunkirk, near the Belgian border, for the location of their EV battery recycling plant. The first part of the plant is scheduled to be operational by 2025, with a capacity of up to 50 000 tons of battery packs per year. Eramet […]
September 25, 2023
Dutch energy supplier Eneco is to withdraw from the Brussels residential market. No more new customers will be accepted, and existing contracts will not be renewed after expiry. According to Eneco, the decision results from overly complex regulations and overprotection of customers. As a result, conditions are no longer profitable and unsustainable in the short […]
September 25, 2023
The Vietnamese electric car manufacturer VinFast has now set the fourth quarter of 2023 as the target for the start of deliveries in Europe. The introduction has been postponed several times. At the same time, VinFast presented its first official business figures after it went IPO in August. In the fourth quarter of 2023, the […]
September 25, 2023
Kawasaki has unveiled its first two production electric motorcycles: the Ninja e-1 and the Z e-1. Both models are meant for city use with a 9 kW motor, which makes them equivalent to the 125 cc class and around 72 km of range. Electric motorcycles are slowly gaining traction, with models like the Harley-Davidson LiveWire […]
September 25, 2023
All new Jaguars sold in North America from 2025 will come with the North American Charging Standard (NACS). I-Pace drivers will receive an adapter to use the supercharger network. Jaguar is looking to become an all-electric brand starting in 2025. In the US, Canada, and Mexico, its new electric cars will come with the North […]
September 22, 2023
Limburg-based Giga Storage Belgium will construct a large-scale battery farm in Ophoven (Kinrooi). With a 300 megawatt capacity, it will be the largest battery farm in Europe, capable of providing 165 000 families with electricity for four hours. Large storage capacity with batteries is essential to absorb fluctuations in supply and demand in the electricity […]
September 21, 2023
Gas network operator Fluxys Belgium, Pipelink, Socofe, and the Federal Participation and Investment Company (SFPIM) join forces to create ‘Fluxys c-grid’, a CO2 network operator that must support the industry “in its transition efforts toward a low CO2 emission future”. Pipelink is a subsidiary of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, and Socofe is the investment vehicle […]
September 21, 2023
The Prime Minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak (Conservatives), is attempting to water down the UK policy to ban the sale of new combustion vehicles in 2030. The British car industry doesn’t seem happy at all with this policy change. “To give us more time to prepare, I’m announcing that we’re going to ease the […]
September 20, 2023
A 3,5-year EU project, GIANTS (Green Intelligent Affordable New Transport Solutions), aims to develop technology solutions that will enable the production of affordable LEVs or light electric vehicles (categorized L5, L6, and L7) for urban transport worldwide. Two major car manufacturers are also involved. How can the millions of tuk-tuks in the world’s cities be […]
September 19, 2023
At the top of Hongtu Daban in Tibet, a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo EV conquered a new record for the greatest altitude change by an electric car: 5 573,979 meters. The Porsche Taycan has secured a new Guinness World Record after completing an extreme 2 783-kilometer journey that saw it go from the lowest natural […]
September 19, 2023
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has started the construction of a brand-new Car Rental Service Center. It will be the Netherlands’ largest car rental company facility, accommodating about 2 500 vehicles and able to charge some 300 EVs simultaneously. The building is expected to be finished by the end of 2024. Schiphol is transforming the former P4 […]
September 19, 2023
Gotion High-Tech, a Chinese battery cell manufacturer and Volkswagen partner, now also builds its battery packs in Göttingen. The first battery products are to be delivered to customers in October. “Our Göttingen factory’s production line is highly automated, with an overall automation level of nearly 70% and close to 80% in the module assembly stage,” […]
September 19, 2023
Volkswagen reportedly wants to stop vehicle production in Dresden after more than 20 years. The site is to be retained, and the 300 or so employees will be given other tasks, among others, in the area of innovative production and testing. VW is building the ID.3 in the so-called ‘Gläserne Manufaktur’ or Transparent Factory. According […]
September 18, 2023
Carmakers can sell small electric cars made in Europe for € 25 000 while making a profit, new research from Transport & Environment (T&E) shows. Falling production costs and battery prices would make mass-market B-segment vehicles feasible to electrify by 2025, according to the study by Transport & Environment (T&E) based on analysis by the […]
September 18, 2023
Not all battery packs in EVs age at the same level. According to research by the Future Mobility department of Thomas More High School, the variation can mount up to 8% annually on specific packs. This is much worse than the rule of thumb prescribing 70% capacity after usage of eight years and could severely […]
September 18, 2023
Xpeng will be the next Chinese manufacturer to launch an electric van on the domestic market from the end of this year. It will bear the model designation Xpeng X9 and will go on sale later this year. The first undisguised pictures and technical key data have now emerged from the Chinese Ministry of Industry […]
